


The Novak Hickey Mystery

by FagurFiskur



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gossip, Multi, POV Outsider, Professor Castiel, Professor Dean Winchester, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 14:19:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12483592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FagurFiskur/pseuds/FagurFiskur
Summary: Gossiping is a powerful urge. University students are by no means exempt from it, despite ostensibly being intelligent adults. So when one sunny Monday morning, Professor Novak shows up to class with a visible hickey on the side of his neck, the rumor mill goes spinning out of control.





	The Novak Hickey Mystery

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this prompt from cas-the-wise: How about Dean and Cas as University professors? Where one is a leather-jacket-wearing, motorcycle-driving badass and the other wears sweater vests and dorky glasses? And none of their students realize they're married until some event happens that ends with someone witnessing them kissing goodbye in front of one of their offices?
> 
> Go to [my tumblr](https://perlukafarinn.tumblr.com) if you wanna leave me prompts/read ficlets too short to post here!

 

Gossiping is a powerful urge. University students are by no means exempt from it, despite ostensibly being intelligent adults. So when one sunny Monday morning, Professor Novak shows up to class with a visible hickey on the side of his neck, the rumor mill goes spinning out of control.

Because, yeah, Novak is good looking but he’s always seemed kind of… untouchable. Like a monk, but a hot one.

His classes are small but everyone knows who Novak is so by early evening the whole campus has been made aware of The Hickey. Once people have gotten over the fact of its mere existence, the conversation turns to who could possibly have made it.

Maeve isn’t particularly interested in the answer but she gets sucked into the conversation anyway the following morning, as she and her friends wait for Professor Winchester’s lecture to start. “It’s got to be Professor Milton, right? They’re always together.”

“She’s married,” Siobhan dismisses, because she’s always on top of these things. The fact that she doesn’t know the identity of Novak’s mystery lover seems to really gall her. “And her wife is smoking hot, if she cheated it wouldn’t be with Professor Sweater Vest.”

Marie shrugs. “I don’t know, the sweater vests are kind of cute.”

“I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say that.”

“What about Professor Masters?” Maggie suggests.

Siobhan considers this for a moment. “I mean, I guess, but can you really picture the two of them together? I know opposites attract and all but still…”

“It isn’t necessarily a woman,” Kristen says, which, point. “Or a professor.”

It’s at this point that Professor Winchester enters the lecture hall. Normally, his presence is enough to get their attention. He’s one of those guys who knows he’s handsome and he’s not above using this to his advantage. The leather jacket doesn’t hurt, nor the motorcycle helmet he usually carries in his right hand, knocking casually against his hip.

Today, none of them so much as glance his way.

For a moment, he stands at his desk, waiting for them to stop talking. When they don’t, he knocks sharply on his desk, startling them.

He smiles easily, and for a moment all gossip about Professor Novak’s love life is a distant memory. “What’s so important that you can’t stop talking about it? Did you start on the topic without me?”

“We’re trying to figure out who Professor Novak is hooking up with,” Siobhan replies, because she’s absolutely shameless.

Winchester pinches his lips together, like he’s trying not to laugh. “Oh?”

And because Siobhan always has to press her luck, “Do you know?”

“That’s, uh-” Winchester clears his throat. “That’s not really appropriate for me to discuss with you.”

“So yes.”

“Okay!” Winchester claps his hands. “I hope everyone did their reading, because we’re diving right into Ellison’s  _Flying Home_. Who wants to start?”

*

By the end of the week, Novak’s hickey has mostly faded and so have the rumors. That weekend Marie gets drunk at a party and spends an hour making out with Kevin Tran, which gives them something new to talk about. The Novak Hickey mystery seems poised to go on unsolved.

Then, the next Monday, Professor Novak shows up to class with not one but  _two_ hickeys, and just like that the rumors go flying again.

Maggie stands fast by her theory that it has to be Professor Masters, arguing that she definitely has the hots for him (“She calls him Clarence. Who gives cutesy nicknames like that unless they like somebody?”). Most of the rest of them figure it’s someone outside of school, which is more likely though less interesting.

Kristen, meanwhile, gets it in her head that it’s Professor Winchester, based on his reaction when they brought up the topic.

The rest of them are quick to shoot that theory down.

“They have nothing in common,” Maggie says, which is rich given that she thinks he’s hooking up with Masters.

“Professor Novak hates motorcycles,” Maeve adds. “He says they’re deathtraps.”

Siobhan shrugs apologetically. “It’s just not a lot to go on, babe.”

“Besides,” Marie says, “Professor Winchester has a boyfriend. I’ve seen him hanging around his office. He’s really tall and he’s got gorgeous hair.”

They move on to their next theory, that Professor Novak is hooking up with a student (highly unlikely, but perfectly scandalous if it is happening). It’s possible they’re spending way too much time and effort on this subject but hey, it’s either that or work on their mid-term essays and no one actually wants to do that.

It’s during a Thursday lecture a couple of weeks later, when Novak’s hickeys have finally faded only to be replaced by yet another one, that one of them grows frustrated with the mystery and actually brings it up with Novak.

His expression goes absolutely blank at the question. “You want to know who I’m…”

“Hooking up with,” Marie helpfully repeats. “Or dating, if you prefer.”

It’s possible that the freedom of college might have finally gone to her head.  _No one_ talks this way to Professor Novak. Professor Winchester or Masters, sure, because they’re fun and casual (Winchester even lets them call him Dean), but Novak is too structured for that.

“I am not hooking up with nor dating anyone,” Novak says slowly, brows furrowed in confusion. “And I am at a loss as to how that relates to our topic.”

“We’ve just been wondering,” Marie says. “What with the love bites.”

Novak’s hand shoots up to cover his neck, and then he’s actually  _blushing_. “I, ah, was not aware that you had noticed.” He clears his throat. “Regardless, it is no concern of yours.”

Which is his polite way of saying,  _mind your own goddamn business_. Marie takes the hint, and the topic gets dropped.

The rumors fizzle out after that. Clearly, Professor Novak is uncomfortable with them butting into his personal life, and knowing that kind of takes the fun out of gossiping about it. The hickeys also stop showing up.

Nearly a month later, Siobhan and Kristen are heading for his office after hours.

“It’s way too late,” Siobhan complains as her girlfriend drags her down the hall by the hand. “He’s probably home by now.”

“I saw his car in the parking lot,” Kristen says. “And I need to talk to him today, I just missed his regular office hours because  _someone_ was distracting me.”

“I can’t help it if I’m adorable.”

Kristen elbows her side. “You’re a menace, is what you are.”

“Damn straight,” Siobhan says with a satisfied grin. “Or should I say damn-”

Kristen stops short just past the corner, causing Siobhan to bump into her. She’s about to complain, when she sees what caused Kristen to stop.

Professor Novak is standing outside his office, arms wrapped around and lips very much engaged with Professor Winchester, who has him pressed against the doors.

“No way,” Siobhan breathes.

“Hah!” Kristen exclaims.

Winchester pulls away abruptly, both men going red when they notice the girls. For a moment, all four of them are engaged in an awkward staring contest.

“…I’m afraid office hours are over,” Novak eventually says.

“You lied!” Siobhan blurts. She catches herself moments after, deeply mortified at having just called out her  _professor_ about rightly keeping his personal life private.

Winchester, at least, doesn’t seem outraged at her audacity so much as amused. “You lying to your students about me, Cas?”

Cas – freaking  _Cas_ – frowns. “I don’t remember doing that.”

“You said you weren’t hooking up with or dating anyone,” Siobhan reminds him, because in for a penny.

“Oh, yes,” Novak says. “I wasn’t lying. Dean and I aren’t hooking up, we’re married.”

“What, those are mutually exclusive?” Winchester asks. “We get hitched and the romance dies?”

“I’d hardly call ‘hooking up’ romantic.”

“I would! You’re still saved in my contacts under ‘booty call’, you know.”

Novak’s cheeks go even redder. “This is hardly appropriate,” he says, gesturing at Kristen and Siobhan.

“Right, sorry.” Winchester grimaces. “Uh, you girls won’t tell anyone about this?”

“We won’t,” Kristen assures him.

“But if you didn’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t have kept giving your husband hickeys,” Siobhan suggests dryly. “Especially after we asked you about them.”

Novak turns to his husband –  _his freaking husband_  – expression an icy calm. “You knew?”

“Uh…” Winchester gives him a weak smile. “In my defense, it was really funny.”

“Why don’t you head on home,” Novak says, turning to the girls. “I need to speak to my husband in private.”

He doesn’t wait for Winchester to respond, but opens the doors to his office, waving him inside. Kristen and Siobhan are left alone in the hallway, still reeling from what just happened.

“So,” Siobhan says after a long moment. “You were right.”

“Of course I was.” Kristen tugs at her hand, and they head back down the hall the way they came. “I just hope you didn’t get Professor Winchester in too much trouble.”

“He had it coming.” Siobhan gives her a devious grin. “And I bet he’s not even in any trouble. They’re probably about to have some really kinky sex on Professor Novak’s desk.”

“Gross,” Kristen whines. “I did  _not_ need that mental image.”


End file.
